2022 NBA Finals: In Boston, the Warriors’ Draymond Green gets his fourth ring and the last laugh

Draymond Green four– NBA champion, Golden State Warriors A living legend, TNT analyst, increasingly popular podcaster, and future Hall of Famers finally had a laugh at TD Garden. In the same building where he was greeted with boos and F-Yous, where six days before he watched most of the fourth quarter along the bench stretch, Green put his fingerprints throughout the game 6-12 points, 12 rebounds, eight assists, Two sets, two robbers, only one mistake – and the villain wins.

Green took the blame when he missed 10 of his 12 shots and Boston Celtics He stole his home advantage in the opening game of the Finals. He took the heat when he made a mistake in Game 3 and “the audience surprised me,” as he put it. And when the Warriors needed to win a close match in a hostile environment to claim their fourth title in eight years, Green was indispensable. He scored 42 minutes, the most he played in a match outside of overtime since June 13, 2019, the last time they played in their sixth game in the finals.

“If you knew basketball, and watched Game 1 I wouldn’t have had a bad 1 game,” Green said. “And I had great Game 2. And Game 3 was kind of like, awful, horrible. And Game 4 wasn’t my best effort but it wasn’t exactly special. And Game 5, Game 5, I was really strong. It came out with great energy.

“Game 6, you’ve taken control.”

Stephen Curry finally raised the MVP award at the Finals after winning 103-90, but will you look at the end result? This, like the rest of Golden State’s wins in the series, was a dismal win, thanks to a defense that ranked second after Boston, a reflection of the green more than anyone else. The Celtics scored 96.8 bad points per 100 possessions in Game 6, and according to Cleaning The Glass, only 81.8 per 100 possessions in the midterm.

“Our defense has been fantastic in this series, especially the last three games,” said Warriors coach Steve Kerr. “The Celtics had the best defense in the league, but we were right behind them. I think what made this group really special, besides what’s clear with Steve, is the defensive intensity and versatility. And for that, Draymond is the man to point to the leader of everything.”

After both Golden State losses, Green said he and the team needed to play more aggressively and that Boston was very comfortable. The warriors were facing an attack that could reach great heights, but could spin out of control when pressed and pushed. They fought back against the Celtics’ half-court defense, but they knew they’d enjoy relocation opportunities if they could create them. In the interval, Boston turned the ball more than 22 times, 13 of which were steals. Whether the Celtics coughed or missed a shot, Greene was usually the man to push the ball down the court, making them bounce on their heels.

Greene was also one of the many people who smashed the boards. Early in the second quarter, he pushed Jason Tatum out of his way and directed the ball straight to Jordan Bull for 3. About a minute later, he chased after another foul and immediately found Paul for another one. The Warriors rebounded with 40.7 percent of their errors Thursday, scoring 21 points in the second chance.

“He’s our captain and we want him to be on the brink,” said Golden State senior Kevon Looney. “He and Steve have really different leadership styles, and they balance each other out. When you have Draymond there putting his body on the line, he can be the villain, whatever you want him to do. He’ll go in there and do it for the team. We can’t give him enough credit.” for what he does for us.”

Looney said the Warriors “kind of play with the same energy he brings on the defensive end,” adding, “We always talk about Stephen in attack, and we kind of compare Draymond on defense in the same kind of way.” In other words, you expect him to set the tone for the defense, tell everyone where they are and make plays like these:

However, you don’t necessarily expect him to pop up Golden State’s first offensive possession, make two 3 corners, one right in front of the Boston bench, or score two long goals on Robert Williams III as the Celtics. they run:

“He always said, ‘I’m 90 percent in the clutch,'” Looney said. “We always say, when it’s a close match, he’s going to be in the action and something happens. When you have someone that you can count on in that way and you can count on, it gives everyone a confidence boost.”

“He’s reckless and he’s who he is, but when you need him, he shows up,” Andre Iguodala said.

Green said he knew he didn’t put together a great, complete game in the series. For him, it was all about staying the course.

“I said, ‘What better time to put it together tonight,'” Green said. “I don’t think I heard ‘F-you, Draymond’ all night. They couldn’t. So, you know, it’s easy to chant ‘F-you’ when someone’s having a bad game, but can’t you do it when they’re playing a great game? I haven’t heard Lots of it tonight. I was probably just that locked up.”

There was another hymn “F—You, Draymond” on Thursday. This time, it was Green’s babbling fellows, in the champagne-drenched locker room, who say so, with well-deserved smiles on their faces.

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